Region Archives: International

What did Australia’s forests look like in 1788? …There has been much debate about the state of tall wet forests when the British first arrived in Australia. This matters for several reasons. First, the condition of forests 236 years ago is linked to how they were managed by First Nations people. An open and park-like forest would develop if it was subject to repeated, low-intensity cultural burns and “farmed” by First Nations people. Conversely, in the absence of repeated fire and farming, the forest would be dense and wet with many large trees. Second, understanding what forests were like when the British first arrived provides crucial insights into how best to repair these ecosystems to their “natural state” and conserve the species dependent upon them. …The management for mountain ash forests is to leave them alone. Let them mature and recover from the almost 120 years of logging that has dreadfully degraded them.

AUSTRALIA — After reading Mark Poynter’s critique of The Forest Wars and the David Lindenmayer response, a few points—Mr Poynter noted that: “Arguably, the book’s doubling-down on some obvious misconceptions and errors reflects a tendency to ignore or dismiss valid (and more advanced) forest science research, knowledge and advice, especially in relation to assumptions and concepts.” David Lindenmayer’s immediate reply was: “But readers should be acutely aware of Mr Poynter’s strong connections to the native forest logging industry. The implication would seem to be that anyone, like me, who has “strong connections” to the native forest industry could not possibly have a reasoned argument informed by a scientific education and decades of real-world experience to dispute opinions that do not make sense in the Australian forest environment. Communication of the differences of opinion to the general public, is a key component of a well-informed as opposed to a poorly informed public.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has made a “dodgy backroom deal” to support loggers, angry environment groups claim, after an announcement that logging could go ahead in forests known to be safe havens for greater gliders. The groups claimed only minimal daytime searches were made to avoid killing the endangered nocturnal marsupial. In a joint statement, the groups claimed the announcement by the EPA drew a “road map to extinction” for the species. …Kita Ashman, a forest scientist with World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Australia said instead of protecting an endangered species, the EPA was protecting the timber industry. “It’s extremely clear we have an endangered species whose sole requirement is trees, we also have an industry whose sole requirement is trees,” Dr Ashman said. …The EPA has strengthened rules for protections around areas where greater gliders have been spotted. …Environment groups said the protection rules were not enough.

Dana Kirkpatrick and Curtis Hawkes

NEW ZEALAND — The Eastland Forestry Awards were presented in Gisborne on Friday night and the top award went to Curtis Hawkes, of Hawkes Logging. A crowd of about 500 celebrated the numerous nominees and winners put forward by their peers and their companies. Hawkes Logging came to the region from Northland, and Curtis Hawkes leads his crew on the extreme terrain of the East Coast. He took away the Skilled Professional of the Year 2024 trophy as well as Harvesting Excellence, Crew of the Year and Outstanding Health & Safety awards. East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, who presented the top award, said Hawkes had shown a high level of professionalism and work ethic in all aspects of the job. He was recognised as a true leader by example, “not asking anything of anyone that they themselves will not do”.

New Zealand’s wood processing sector is trying to work out how those sending product to prove their supply chains are free of deforestation. …New Zealand exported $100 million worth of wood products like wood chips to Europe last year – with more than half going to the Netherlands. Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association chief executive Mark Ross said there was some confusion around the new rules, tipped to be implemented in late December, and how they would play out. …He said processors would need to provide documentation detailing where the trees came from before products were processed, and if the forest site was replanted. “They’ll need to have geolocation data that shows where those forests have come from when it comes to wood products,” he said. “We will need to have satellite images like GPS co-ordinates showing where those trees were harvested before they were processed.”

As our planet warms, many species are shifting to different locations as their historical habitats become inhospitable. Trees are no exception… A study published in PNAS shows that trees, especially those in the far north, may be relocating to soils that don’t have the fungal life to support them. …Most large coniferous trees in northern latitudes form relationships with a kind of mycorrhizal fungi called ectomycorrhizal fungi. “As we examined the future for these symbiotic relationships, we found that 35% of partnerships between trees and fungi that interact with the tree roots would be negatively impacted by climate change,” says lead author Michael Van Nuland, a fungal ecologist at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN). The trees most at risk of this climate mismatch in North America are those in the pine family… The study sheds light on how climate change might be affecting symbioses.

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New Zealand Forest Owners Association says a new report is a promising step towards addressing complex land use management issues in New Zealand but needs to recognise the value of forestry in building a more resilient environment. The report, Going with the Grain: Changing land uses to fit a changing landscape, was released by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE). It acknowledges the longstanding complexities of land use management in New Zealand and the need to shift to a more granular, mosaic approach in the face of a changing climate.  The association’s chief executive, Dr Elizabeth Heeg, says forest owners are supporters of an integrated land use conversation but says forestry must first be recognised as a valued part of that land use mosaic. 

AUSTRALIA — The Victorian government has been accused by conservationists and a leading ecologist of allowing a de facto native logging industry to emerge under the guise of fire management just months after closing down the industry. Environmental lawyers said the state government agency, Forest Fire Management Victoria, was acting “with impunity”, and conservationists and the Victorian Greens called on state and federal ministers to step in. Logging in Victoria’s native forests ended at the beginning of this year but Prof David Lindenmayer, a forest ecologist at Australian National University, said: “There’s a de facto logging industry now emerging under the guise of fire suppression. …Conservationists and the Victorian National Parks Association expressed shock after discovering a dead greater glider in an area where trees had been felled by FFMV. Blake Nisbet, of campaign group Wildlife of the Central Highlands, said: “This is endangered wildlife culling. 

SASTAMALA, FINLAND — Carccu, a packaging manufacturer based in Sastamala, Finland, has been awarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) forest certification. The wood in an FSC-labelled wood product originates from a forest that has been managed in accordance with the principles of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The FSC label on paper packaging demonstrates commitment to sustainable forest management. …The certification is supervised by independent, accredited auditors and it is the only wood product certification that is also supported by WWF, Nature League and Greenpeace. By using FSC-certified raw materials , Carccu is able to contribute to responsible forest management and forest economy. Work on obtaining FSC certification started at Carccu last year as part of the company’s ISO 9001 and ISO 14 001 quality system certification efforts.

New South Wales’s environment minister has refused to intervene amid fears the government’s own Forestry Corporation could be illegally destroying the den trees of endangered greater gliders. Penny Sharpe has voted against a motion, brought by the Greens in parliament, calling for the suspension of logging in nine state forests while investigations are carried out. The motion was made after an audit by conservation groups found the Forestry Corporation had breached new greater glider search rules 188 times in just eight weeks. The rules for pre-logging surveys were tightened in February after the corporation admitted it had been looking for nocturnal gliders during the day, when the animals would have been asleep inside their hollows. 

Government spending cuts have forced Scion, the dedicated Crown research institute charged with growing forestry exports, to propose shedding a significant number of scientists. Scion said 30 jobs or around 10% of its workforce may go. This impacts scientists, technicians and support staff. Most are based in Rotorua. …”Cutting the agency that is helping to grow a valuable exporter, earner and employer is just more dumb stuff from this government,” said Fleur Fitzsimons Assistant Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. …”Forestry is our third largest primary export earner and employs tens of thousands in regions around New Zealand – it makes no sense for a government focused on economic growth and regional economic development to undermine such a critical agency. Scion is all about the productivity of forestry – helping grow higher value trees, improving land management, researching more efficient harvesting practices and the impacts of climate change on forests.”

In a study published in the journal Plant and Soil, researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have shown that mixed larch and deciduous forests are more resistant to soil acidification—a decrease in soil pH—than pure larch forests. This finding suggests that mixed forests, which contain a variety of tree species, may be a more effective forest management strategy to combat soil acidification. Human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and the use of chemical fertilizers have led to high levels of nitrogen deposition, the transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface, in many regions of the world; this process may cause soil acidification and plant nutrient imbalances. …The results suggest that in the northeastern regions of China, establishing mixed forests may be a better forest management practice to prevent soil acidification under conditions of increased nitrogen deposition.